1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to systems and methods for secure execution of computer applications, and in particular to a system and method for secure execution of computer applications in cloud computing environments.
2. Description of the Related Art
Cloud computing refers to the practice of using a network of remote servers hosted on the Internet to store, manage, and process data, rather than a local server or a personal computer. One of the benefits of cloud computing is the ability to provide shared computer processing resources on demand, this providing access to a shared pool of remotely and rapidly configurable computing resources.
One of the latest innovations in cloud computing is the ability to create application instances in an elastic manner (e.g. application instances are created and destroyed automatically based on stimuli external to the system, with system load conditions typically being a primary driver).
The advent of the use of virtual computing, coupled with the dynamic and elastic nature of newer system architectures, creates a need for a dynamic and automatic method to create and securely manage application instances, particularly when used as part of a systemic authentication and authorization function. In particular, as application instances are created and destroyed based on system load conditions, it is important that they be securely identified and managed in order to support secure communications and securely authorize resource allocation among the application instances and other elements.
However, the transient existence of these application instances presents a challenge in controlling the application instance's access to secure system resources and sensitive information. What are needed are systems and methods for securely executing such instances in a reconfigurable processing architecture using cloud computing techniques. This document describes such systems and methods.